


SDR2 Trial 4 rewrite

by famderlinde



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Super Dangan Ronpa 2 Spoilers, souda gets character development, this isnt a ship thing between gundham and souda but it can be if you want i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 23:25:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14862291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/famderlinde/pseuds/famderlinde
Summary: A reimagining of the chapter 4 trial from SDR2, inspired by how I thought it was going to play out originally. Told with a focus on Kazuichi.





	SDR2 Trial 4 rewrite

Souda stood nervously in the trial room, chewing on his bottom lip so hard it drew blood. His classmates were arguing, shouting back and forth, trying to pinpoint who it was that killed Nekomaru in the funhouse.

He was so anxious he was sweating bullets. That wasn't anything unusual- these trials tended to bring out that side of him, with the looming threat of their collective punishment constantly overhead if they come to the wrong conclusion. But that wasn't the problem today- well, at least it wasn't  _his_ problem today. Why?

Because he already knew who did it. Who killed Nekomaru. He knew the name of the person who mercilessly beheaded their robotic friend in order to secure their own safety. It would be so easy to simply say their name, one word leaving his lips that could save them all from certain death. But he couldn't say it. He couldn't bring himself to say that one, safety-ensuring word...

_Sonia._

All he had to do was tell the group what he knew, what he saw. Hell he didn't even have to say it outright, he could even just allude to the fact that it was her. Drop hints until Hajime, Chiaki or Nagito figured it out. But he was a coward. He couldn't bring himself to say anything against her or anything that would implicate her. Because he loved her so dearly...how could he betray her like this? She must have her reasons for why she did it...she's a princess, her people must desperately need her...what if he was wrong, and she somehow didn't do it at all? And if she did, maybe she'll come forward on her own! He shouldn't say anything, the others will make everything right, they always do, they-

"And that is why the person who killed our dear friend Nekomaru...could be none other than that scoundrel Kazuichi Souda!" His head snapped to attention at the mention of his name, only to be horrified when Sonia was the one who had said it.

"It makes the most logical sense!" She continued. "Nekomaru had become a robot. And who else knows more about robotics and machinery than Souda? He feigned an interest in learning about his construction so he could perform maintenance, when he actually was looking for his weak spots so he could kill him!" She placed her face into her hands delicately, undoubtedly fake tears streaming down her cheeks. "I hate the thought of somebody we all trusted so much doing something so deceptive and horrible...but I do not want to die here! We must accept the truth!".

The others seemed to agree with her last statement, their faces becoming grim as their eyes shifted from the crying princess to the cowering mechanic two spots over from her. Kazuichi looked into the eyes of his friends and saw mixtures of sympathy, disappointment and betrayal. They then darted to Hajime specifically, because he could usually sense when things were going in the wrong direction- he wanted to see if Hinata showed  _any_ traces that he was doubtful of Sonia's allegations. When he looked at him, there was only one word that truly encapsulated the look on his face...

Despair.

Hajime didn't believe in him. None of them did. Their looks were all too familiar- it was a look he had seen 3 times before this moment. Once for Teruteru, once for Peko, and once for Mikan. He just wasn't used to being on the receiving end. He didn't like how it felt to have their eyes glued to him, watching his every move and waiting with bated breath for his defense.

When Souda finally spoke, his words came out shaky and lacking conviction. Feeble attempts at denials, dripping in uncertainty but for all the wrong reasons. Because he wasn't unsure of the culprit, but unsure of himself. Unsure of what to do in this moment, what to say. Because presented to him was a choice- cover the truth (either by lying or saying nothing at all) and meet his end, and bring all of his classmates except for Sonia to their ends as well. Or, he could tell the truth- tell them what he witnessed days prior, an interaction between Sonia and Nekomaru where he detailed his sleep function to her- revealing his biggest weakness. He could bring up seeing Sonia exiting the final dead room in the middle of the night with a bag suspiciously full from what must have been the Octagon. But to say these things, to implicate her, would mean betraying her...

And also killing her.

In his eyes, her blood would be on his hands. She may have ended the lives of one of their friends...but she probably had good reason!

They were all starving, it could have been out of desperation! ... _wait, no, she inquired into his weaknesses before they were ever inside the funhouse..._

Well she was a princess- she probably needed to get back to her people! ... _but they hadn't recieved any new motives aside from, y'know, starvation...Wouldn't she have acted earlier if she really needed to get back home?_

That's it! She killed him now to save all of their lives, so they wouldn't all die in that horrible place!... _but wouldn't she come forward if that was the case?_

His mind raced a mile a minute, trying to come with excuses and reasons for Sonia's actions that simply weren't there. Trying to come up with anything he could think of, besides his adoration for her, that validates his hiding of the truth.

He was brought back to reality by a loud slam accompanied by the angry voice of Fuyuhiko booming across the trial room.

"DAMN IT, SOUDA! Say something you fucking moron! Why did you do it? Why did ya fuckin kill him? I thought we were all friends here, you bastard! After everything we've all been through, how could you fuckin do something like that to us? To him?" The others started to murmur and nod in agreement. Then, Akane spoke up.

"Yeah- how could you? How fucking could you, Souda? Coach Nekomaru just had his life saved, was just given a second chance...and you took it away? He didn't deserve to die...but you sure as hell do!" Akane's voice was as full of the energy she was known for, but laced with more malice than it ever had been. Something about her accusations, her pleas, and the tears starting to roll down her cheeks stirred something inside him. How desperate she looked for answers, for the truth.

"Souda, please!" Sonia once again called out, interrupting his thoughts. "You have done something horrible to somebody so beloved to us all! Please, give us answers as to why...to put us all at peace!" There was a glint in her eye as she spoke to him, confident and powerful. She was very aware of her power over Kazuichi and was going to use it to her advantage. She  _knew_ he could expose her and ruin her plans. But she was sure he wouldn't, because she thought he didn't have the nerve to defy her.

Well, she was wrong.

Mustering up all the courage he could, he was finally able to get out coherent words and sentences in his own defense. He wasn't just going to die here, his life was worth more than that. It had to be.

"No....." He croaked out, his voice shaky still but with more strength behind it. He bore his weight on the podium, his knuckles going white from gripping it so hard. He needed the support, needed to keep himself up...because this was the most difficult thing he'd ever had to do, and it was already draining him. But he needed to get through it.

"It wasn't me. It wasn't."

"Souda, please..." Chiaki gave him a sympathetic look, one that told him he should just stop while he's ahead.

Nagito gave a sinister chuckle from his podium. "Oh Souda, even somebody like you, feeble and cowardly, fights for their life when backed into a corner. I did not expect that from you...to be so full of hope, especially after having your actions exposed by the one you love. It's simply inspiring!" His eyes began to swirl with thoughts of hope, his face breaking out into a manic smile.

"Of course he would fight for his life! Life is precious, even the one of a weaker mortal such as himself." Gundham's eyes flashed up and met with Souda's for a moment, and they were...pensive. While maintaining eye contact, began to speak again. "But even the weakest of mortals can still put up a fight so strong that they shift tides." He broke their eye contact, glancing to the floor with a knowing smirk. Souda cocked an eyebrow, surprised at Gundham's implications.

He knew. He had to know, and he was urging Souda on. Encouraging him to fight for his life. And that sentiment, delivered in signature Tanaka style, was really what he needed to press forwards.

"I'm not just fighting for my life...I'm fighting for all of our lives! I don't wanna die here either! I don't want us all to die here!!"

"Well if you didn't do it Souda...who did?" Hajime's voice was calm and inquisitive as he asked the question Souda had been dreading for so long. He took a deep breath, staring intently at the floor.

"Sonia". He barely managed to squeak her name out, but it was audible enough for everybody in the room to hear. The expressions of everybody in the room turned to shock, except for those of Gundham and Sonia herself. Gundham had a look of pride, while Sonia looked absolutely furious.

"Sonia? What fuckin bullshit! She wouldn't do something like that!" Akane spat out at him.

"But wait, why would  _Souda_  of all people accuse Sonia? He's been enamored with her since day one! Wouldn't it make more sense for him to accuse somebody like Gundham, who he considers his romantic rival? Wouldn't that be a more believable lie for him to tell?" Hajime immediately took charge as he always did, the seed of doubt being planted in his mind.

"Well maybe that's his plan, ya ever think of that?" Fuyuhiko retorted. "To pull a stunt like this, so we wouldn't fuckin suspect him!" Without pause, Chiaki added in her two cents.

"Souda isn't smart enough to pull a trick like that."

" **HEY!** "

All of the eyes in the room returned to him once again. With a deep sigh, he began to slowly tell his side of the story. The shifty interactions and suspicious actions that led up to Nekomaru's death. Everything that he had that implicated Sonia in his death came out, onto the table for everybody to see. Sonia waited patiently, not interrupting him throughout his entire retelling. Their eyes had drifted towards her throughout, looking for some sort of reaction. A tell. But there was none to be found. When he was finished, she finally spoke again.

"Are you finished? That was quite the story you had...but it proves nothing! It is all hearsay, and I will not let you deceive our friends like this! You all must believe me and vote with me against him, as hard as it may be for us all!"

"Sonia please, just give it up.... Why did you do it? Why did you kill him? Didn't you care about us?" He tried to plead with her, for her to finally concede after everything that had happened. He was confident now that the class was on his side- so now it was just a matter of dealing with the consequences of her actions.

"No! No! This isn't over! Nobody believes you, it's not possible, you're all on my side...right? Everybody?" Her voice was filled with panic as her eyes flickered to the people in the room, only to be met with people avoiding meeting her gaze entirely. "Gundham?" He was the only one who wasn't avoidant, instead shaking his head at her, slowly and poignantly.

"How can this be? How...how could you all side with  _him_ over me? How could you all do this to me? Betray me like this? Not believe me like this?" Her voice was frantic as she shouted at her classmates, and they could sense the desperation in her voice. They had never heard her like this before, and she was grasping for straws trying to get people back on her side. In one last ditch effort, she aimed her words at Souda once again.

"Please, Souda...tell them you didn't mean it all..." Her voice was soft and melodic, as if she were trying to put him in a trance. And any other day it would have worked. He would have killed for this kind of attention from her (no pun intended). But his resolve was hardened at this point, he wasn't going to let her get into his head.

"No, Sonia. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never wanted it all to come to this. I've loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you, and I never did much to hide that fact. I resented the fact that you resented me, but I still tried. I still pushed forwards, tried to seem intelligent and capable, tried to seem better than Gundham, all for you. All to impress you, to make you love me back. Everything I've done on this island has been motivated by the thought of you. But I'm not going to be controlled by my desire for you any more. I can't let everybody die because of my selfish wants...I'm sorry Sonia, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.  _Please._ " At this point tears were freely streaming down his face, his cheeks and forehead flushed red, his nose sniffling pathetically. Ironically, while looking more like a child than he ever had, he was acting more like an adult than he ever had as well.

Soon came voting time, with the results coming up exactly as expected. Souda finally lost his strength after Sonia was dragged off to his execution, falling to his knees as he desperately reached out for her. He was about to watch as she was executed before his eyes were clouded by a sea of purple. He grasped at whatever was now covering his eyes, and realized it must have been Gundham's scarf. That was confirmed when he felt something- well, four somethings- nuzzling into his shoulders and cheeks as Sonia began to scream in the distance. He merely gripped the scarf harder, sobbing into it as he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, and then another, and then a couple more. Soon he was enveloped in the embrace of his friends, who had gathered around him as Sonia's execution came to a close.

There were murmurings of apologies and condolences around him. Even still, he simply couldn't bring himself to move. Eventually he felt the bodies leave one by one, each saying that they would see him later and to say strong. Eventually all the people were gone- except for one.

After a long while, Souda managed to get up from his knees when he thought he was alone. He turned around, only to spot Gundham standing in the doorway of the trial room. He noticed his movements and turned around to meet him.

"Gundham...why did you wait for me?"

Gundham gave a chuckle. "I desired my scarf, mortal." He gestured to the long piece of fabric that Souda still gripped tightly.

"Oh, heh, yeah. I'm sorry, it's kind of...wet." He looked down to the tear stained scarf and sheepishly held it out to Gundham, who took it anyways. He didn't put it on, instead folding it up and putting it into his pocket, most likely to wash it later.

"Thank you...for doing that. It was something I didn't need to see. Just...just tell me this....was it bad? Did...did she suffer?" Gundham didn't respond, instead furrowing his brows and looking to the ground solemnly. That wasn't a good sign.

"Oh....."

"Do not focus on her any longer."

"What?"

"She was no mere mortal. Assuredly a more powerful one, her powers of charm were unmatched. Your will was weak to begin with, and you easily fell into her clutches. Yet now, you managed to escape when it was most crucial. It proves that you may not be as pathetic as I once thought. You should celebrate that fact, instead of mourning over the one who tried her hardest to bring us all to our demise."

Souda was speechless for the fact that the one person here that made him feel the most inadequate, the one who he considered his rival, was now here uplifting and supporting him in his own way.

The two then walked in comfortable silence back to their rooms, where Gundham and Souda parted ways. Inside his hut, the loneliness started to get to Souda almost immediately. He sunk to the floor and began to cry once again, until he heard a knocking at his door. He opened it to reveal all the others once again.

"Gundham told us you didn't seem like you were in any condition to be left alone." Chiaki said. "We were all going to go the dining hall and get a midnight snack. None of us can really sleep anyways, and we've all been eager to have access to the fridge again." She offered him a sweet smile and he returned it, walking out of his room and into the night, alongside his friends.

As terrible as he felt for betraying Sonia, he didn't feel sorry. Because he was happy he was alive. He was happy they were  _all_ alive. And together. He was especially happy that they were all together. As he saw all of their faces, the light in their eyes, the way they tried to joke and laugh to uplift the mood for him during his darkest moment, he was so  _goddamn_  happy he chose them. 

And besides...Maybe, in another life he'd be able to see Sonia again...


End file.
